As the Canadian government prepares to introduce a major new piece of copyright legislation, though, the artists who the bill claims to help aren't interested in gaining additional legal rights against file-swappers.

"When the Canadian Record Industry Association (CRIA) says 'copyright reform' what they really mean is 'give a free hand to sue fans who download like they have in the US,'" said Barenaked Ladies singer Steven Page back in October. "We hope the government has a better solution in mind."

Apparently not, and it's not keen on talking about the solution it does have in mind.

The minister who will introduce the bill, Jim Prentice, isn't ready to talk about the bill publicly. The CBC's "Search Engine" radio show wanted to interview Prentice, and the announcement generated "more comments on this than on every other story we've posted, combined," according to host Jesse Brown. But Prentice says he won't be able to do the interview.

More troubling is a report from Canadian professor Michael Geist, who says that his sources tell him that Prentice plans "to delay addressing the copyright concerns of individual Canadians for years."

Instead, a Copyright Review Panel will be set up to consider issues important to consumers, like the levy Canadians pay on blank media. "While a consultation is a good idea," Geist says, "the government should be consulting on all copyright matters rather than caving now to US demands while leaving Canadians consumers, educators, and other stakeholders out in the cold."

Because the bill has yet to be introduced (it is promised before Christmas), there's little hard evidence to go on yet. If Geist, et al. turn out to be correct in their assessment of the bill and of the minister's plans for dealing with the important consumer issues it raises, it could be a dark and cold Christmas for Canadian copyfighters.